Now, the mother of a few of those children is facing charges because police said she left them home alone overnight with no supervision.

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Police said she placed the children in extreme danger. And one neighbor said she shouldn't get them back.

"Not when you're irresponsible like that. You're putting a child's life in jeopardy," the neighbor said.

That's exactly what police said 28-year-old Tamara Gentry did when she left five young children alone unsupervised overnight on the 2900 block of Virginia Avenue.

Flames started shooting from the second floor of the home early Sunday morning.

"It was big, it was gushing out of the side of the house," the neighbor said.

Inside the home at the time were an 11-year-old, a 9-year-old, an 8-year-old, a 6-year-old and a 5-year-old.

Arson investigators said one of the children had been playing with a lighter, sparking a fire in an upstairs bedroom.

One neighbor said the oldest child likely saved the others' lives.

"He got all the kids out. He was asleep at the time and he had woke up and smelled the smoke and gathered all the kids and got them out of the house," the neighbor said. "If it wasn't for him, they probably wouldn't have made it out alive."

All five made it out alive and unharmed. But as neighbors started caring for the kids, others tried to contact their parents.

"All the kids went down to our neighbor's house and we were trying to find the parents but no luck," the neighbor said.

They were nowhere to be found.

Police said Gentry, the family member who was supposed to be watching the kids, had left them alone Saturday night and still hadn't returned by Sunday morning.

"At first I couldn't believe it, but I thought maybe they had just left them for a little while but after talking to them, they hadn't been there for a long while," the neighbor said.

So police arrested Gentry, and at least one neighbor says she deserved to go to jail.

"You're not supposed to leave kids at that age. I mean, anything can happen. Just think if someone would have died instead of everyone getting out," the neighbor said.

Gentry has been charged with five counts of endangering the welfare of a minor and is due in court next week.

Police said Gentry failed to exercise reasonable diligence in supervising those children, all five of whom where in her custody.